So What Do We Do Now?

Now that our kids are going to bed at 7:00-7:30 and sleeping through the night, Nathan and I have an absurd amount of "free" time on our hands. I'm not sure why I put free in quotation marks, but time never seems free, so it seemed fitting. After we tidy the house and start the laundry, it's only 8 PM or so. Considering the past few months have consisted of our children constantly being awake, we have no idea what to do with so much time.

The past couple of days, I have spent these hours foolishly watching episodes of The Mentalist or playing geography games because I am a nerd. I used to take any opportunity I had alone to read, but I'm not there yet.  It's like I am slowly coming out of a sleep-deprived catatonic state; I feel the fog lifting, and it is amazing.  I plan on enjoying mindless entertainment for a few more days before I buckle down and find something productive or fulfilling to do with the day's extra hours.

Who knows? Maybe I'll start exercising? Realistically speaking, though, I'll probably just find a new book series that I enjoy. Oh, words, I am so happy at the thought of reading you!

I should also consider going to bed before midnight. It's hard to retrain the body and mind into believing that sleep is real and isn't going to be interrupted!

People That Care

Yesterday, I called my former doctor's office in Provo in order to pay off a medical bill from last June. I had so many different visits that I guess one slipped through the cracks somehow (on their end). Luckily for them, they remembered to charge us one additional time! Fortunately for us, the bill wasn't bad at all.

A familiar voice answered the phone, and I couldn't help but smile as the receptionist introduced herself. I knew she probably wouldn't remember me, but I let her know my name so she could pull open the account. As soon as I said "Cecilia", she interrupted and said, "Cecilia ROBBINS!? The girl who was pregnant with twins?"

I laughed and said, "That's me!"

She had been working when we first discovered we were having twins and walked out of the ultrasound room hysterically laughing and nearly crying with excitement. She was the one who had organized all of my medical papers when we moved and made me two copies in case I lost one. She was the kind soul who listened when I called crying, asking to be seen again because I was so sick. And when she told me she wished me the best at our final office visit, I knew she meant it. 

So yes, I really like this woman.

After her initial question, she went on to say: "I was thinking about you just the other week. We all have been wondering what happened with you and wishing you the best. I kept you in my prayers for weeks."

When I told her Ezra and Elliott (she loved the names) were perfect, healthy little boys, she laughed in delight. When I told her the brief version of our crazy delivery and how neither baby went to the NICU, she gasped in disbelief. She kept saying, "You are so blessed, Ms. Cecilia! I am just so happy for you!"

I'm happy for us, too! And it really is amazing how great the kindness of others can make you feel. 

Idaho Getaway

This weekend, Nathan and I had the opportunity to go on a much needed mini vacation. My wonderful in-laws offered us their timeshare in the mountains of northern Idaho. They also offered to watch all of our children so we could fully relax and take advantage of all of the amenities offered by the resort. Yes, I realize I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing in-laws. Additionally, Ty, Jenny, and little Anna also come, which made the trip even more enjoyable. We are so lucky that our brother/brother-in-law and sister-in-law are two of our best friends.


When we arrived at Stoneridge Resort, my first thought was "Dirty Dancing!"

It really felt like we were at the resort featured in the movie (except for the whole dancing bit and Patrick Swayze). There were a number of activities to do, a meet and greet, and the atmosphere was very family friendly. Nathan and I mostly enjoyed the typical vacation luxuries: the salt water pool (so much better than chlorine), hot tub and sauna. We also had fun playing a number of shuffleboard matches and a game of miniature golf.

As it turns out, we both love shuffleboard. We are officially 70 years old, I know.

We ate good food, celebrated Ty's birthday, stayed up way too late, slept in, and enjoyed ourselves. 

One of the highlights of the trip was playing racquetball with Ty for over an hour. Afterwards, I could hardly walk. Two days later, I was forced to crawl up the stairs because my thighs and entire body continue to ache. I think this means I need to start working out. The other highlight was eating Ty's delicious birthday cake that Jenny made. Imagine a giant Oreo...two layers of chocolate cake topped with butter cream Oreo icing. It was heavenly.

As always, though, it is good to be home. 

Parades, Waves, and Smiles

When we lived in Provo, the parade on Independence Day was one of the highlights of the holiday. We only had to walk two blocks to attend the festivities, which included everything from cheerleaders and a marching band to storm troopers. Luckily for us (and Eliza), Othello also has a parade on the 4th of July. Although it mostly consisted of tractors and horses, Eliza was not disappointed. Her initial boredom turned into pure delight once she realized candy was being thrown by the various participants.

She would wave...and then run for the candy!

She would prance out into the street and pick up as many candies as her tiny hands could hold. We couldn't stop laughing at her "candy dance." Notice the little hops here.

So cute.

Eliza also enjoyed the homemade ice cream we made later on in the day and then was excited to watch fireworks for the first time that night.

Ezra and Elliott enjoyed being outside and were their cute, smiley selves. 

It's so much fun to take pictures of happy babies! 

As you can see, we had a great day! (and yes, I did manage to watch Independence Day three days in a row)

A History of my Fourths of July

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a child, I looked forward to the fireworks, hamburgers, watermelon, and trips to the lake with my cousins. One of my favorite traditions, though, was watching movies. We would watch Jaws or have Star Wars marathons,  and sometimes, we even went to see a new release in the theater.

I often laugh when I think about watching Independence Day on opening day back in 1996. My older cousins had come to visit from North Carolina, and I was excited to go to a movie with the "big kids." I was only ten years old, so hanging out with 20 year olds was a big deal! As we made our way into the packed movie theater, we realized we would have to split up. My cousin, Eddie, and I went to the far left of the theater and sat beside a couple in their mid-20s.

I know most of you have seen the movie, but there is one particular scene that is meant to surprise the audience. The government officials are touring Area 51, and the alien has escaped during an operation which was being performed by Data (or the actor who plays Data in Star Trek). Everything is quiet until suddenly, Data is slammed against a glass panel and says, "Release me!" 

I'll admit--I was scared. I was ten...of course, I was scared! However, there was someone who was definitely more (outwardly) terrified than I was. The young man sitting beside my cousin Eddie literally jumped into his lap during this scene....as in Eddie had a stranger sitting in his lap screaming like a young child. I will never forget how unbelievably ridiculous the entire scenario was. We all felt awkward. The man hurriedly sat back in his seat and his girlfriend hid her face in shame. I was too embarrassed for the guy to actually laugh at the time, and Eddie had a "did that just happen" look on his face. Fortunately, we made it through the movie without anymore incidents.

Although that is a tough memory to outdo, I must say that I have one more that is even better than that. Four years ago, I was single and loving life in Provo. I knew Nathan from church, had a crush on him, and also knew that he was engaged. I was downtown with some friends, enjoying the evening, when I walked past Nathan. He looked so sad. Little did I know that he and his fiance had just broken up about 10 minutes earlier. I felt like I should say something, but I wasn't sure what to say to someone I  hardly knew. So, I looked at him, smiled and awkwardly said: "Cheer up, Charlie."

Cheer up, Charlie!? Where did that come from?! I'm not sure, but I guess I caught his attention! Later on that night, he joined up with our group of friends to watch the fireworks. We didn't talk much, but we definitely started our friendship. And now we are married and have three kids.

While those are two of my favorite memories, I cannot help but think of what was going on last 4th of July weekend. I know I have had several "one year ago, this happened" posts, but I really am in awe  of how much life can change in a year...for the better, that is. 

We began the month with my feeding tube insertion. Cheryl, who had been helping us for a month, left for the weekend to attend our niece's baptism. We thought we would be fine for a few days, but we really hit rock bottom. Less than 24 hours after going through the trauma of receiving the NJ tube, I vomited up half of the line. I was gagging, choking, panicking, and freaking out. Nathan was quietly freaking out as well. I will always be grateful to our friend Tina for coming over to watch Eliza while we went to the hospital. I was dehydrated, but had no good veins, the infusion center was closed for the holidays, and I was told a second NJ tube would not be a good idea due to radiation and the fact that I couldn't keep one down. That night, I lay awake in bed for hours and cried. I prayed for an end to the pain, and I prayed that I would live and be able to have healthy baby boys. I've said this before, but in all honesty and without exaggerating, I thought I was going to starve to death (sorry to be depressing, but it was the lowest of lows in my life). I could tell Nathan was worried as well because he had no jokes to lighten the mood. He blogged that day, which seldom happens, and admitted that he felt defeated. In the post, he stated:

I guess the point is: gratitude. So cliche, I know. So trite and non-glamorous. But that's it.  And while it never makes you feel better to say "it could be so much worse," it is true. Cecil will get better, the twins will be born, and someday we'll all be able to go on a walk. And who knows, maybe we'll even get to go boating.

God bless America -- but at the times it (and I) feels less blessed, I'll be ok with that. Because there really is an overwhelming amount of things to be thankful for. You/I/We all have it so good.

A year later, we are grateful for our healthy sons and the fact that my own health improved greatly. I wish I could explain fully how happy these little ones make us. And today, we even went on a walk. Like he said, there really is so much to be thankful for.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Thank for reading the world's longest blog post :)

Last Minute 4th of July Treats!

Tonight at church, we had a small celebration for the 4th of July. It was a fun gathering, and we enjoyed singing songs, playing American history trivia games, and eating great food. Cheryl and I made my most favorite sheet cake, and I thought I would share the recipe since it is so easy, festive, and delicious!

For the cake, all you need is a white cake mix. Follow the directions accordingly and bake in a 29 X 12 inch pan at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After the cake cools, ice with the most amazing frosting. This is what really makes the cake.

Ingredients

• 2 packages of cream cheese
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 large container of cool whip (I think it's 16 oz...make sure it is the large container or else the frosting is too thick)

Preparation Instructions

Use a mixer to blend the ingredients and then frost your cake! For best results, chill the cake for 2-4 hours before serving. And, if you would like to make your cake patriotic, place strawberries and blueberries like so:

If this seems too time consuming, you could always dip strawberries into white chocolate and then coat them with blue sprinkles. So cute!

The final dessert I love is a healthier option from the Pioneer Woman. It's a wonderful yogurt cream that is perfect with strawberries and blueberries.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup Plain, Unflavored Yogurt
• 1-1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cup) Brown Sugar
• Blueberries (or Other Fruit Of Your Choice)

Preparation Instructions

First, pour the yogurt into a bowl and then add the cream.  Carefully whisk the two ingredients until it is nice and thick.

After this is done, sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top of the yogurt mixture. This is very important: do not stir the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and tightly seal the edges. Place in the refrigerator for at least three or four hours.

Once the mixture has chilled, whisk the ingredients all together and serve over blueberries and strawberries (or any fruit of your choosing).

Enjoy! I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!


(p.s. Ezra and Elliott slept for 13 hours last night!)

Ingenuity

My mother always told me to marry the smartest and kindest man I knew. While kindness is an obvious trait to desire in a husband, intelligence isn't always listed as one of the most important qualities in a future spouse. My mother told her children that we would appreciate intelligence more than anything, and we would be thankful for smart children. My father is one of the smartest people I know, so she obviously followed her own advice. (Thanks, Mom!)

Something I love about Nathan is the way he applies his intelligence. He is unique, he is creative, and he always finds a way to solve any problem (a different way than me, I might add). For instance, today, Eliza came home from an outing with grandma with a small bottle of bubbles. While playing, she knocked the bottle over and the bubble liquid all spilled out. She was so sad.

I suggested that we run to Walmart, but Nathan just quickly mixed together water and Dawn. The bubble action was back, and Eliza was thrilled. 

After a little while longer of blowing bubbles, Eliza said she wanted bigger bubbles. The tiny ones just weren't cutting it. A short while later, Nathan came back outside with a container of water/Dawn solution and a baby toy. He had discovered a new way to blow bubbles.

This little ball made the largest bubbles ever! Some were stuck together (and looked like Mickey Mouse to Eliza), and we had so much fun seeing all the various shapes and sizes of bubbles. Eliza was entertained for 4 hours playing with this stuff!

The boys enjoyed watching their sister play and even Grandma and Grandpa joined in on the fun.

And to think I wanted to go to Walmart...

Oh, and in case you are wanting an update on our children, here is a quick one! Eliza has been going to bed at 7:30 (instead of 8:30-9:00), and she slept for 13 hours last night. Ezra and Elliott woke up to nurse at 3 AM last night (after sleeping 7 hours) and then slept until 8:30 this morning. Ezra did cry for a while when he first went to bed, but tonight no one cried! The babies happily went to sleep. They have been asleep for 4 hours, and our house is silent. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that my life has completely changed. I am so happy (and well-rested).